Jim Rukutai
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Personal information
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| Full name | Puhipi James Rukutai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1877/1878 Kāwhia |
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| Died |
(aged 62) Onehunga |
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Playing information
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| Position | Loose forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information
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Puhipi James Rukutai (c.1877 – 11 January 1940) was a New Zealand rugby league player and coach who both represented and coached his country. The Auckland Rugby League's minor premiership, the Rukutai Shield, is named after him.
Rukutai was born at Kāwhia and affiliated to the Ngāti Hikairo hapū of Ngāti Maniapoto. He was educated at St Stephen's School. He started his career playing rugby union and was part of George A. Gillett's Goldfields team that defeated Auckland in 1906. Rukutai was working as a miner at the time.
Rukutai played for the City Rovers in the 1909 Auckland Rugby League competition and also toured Australia with the New Zealand Māori team. He first made the New Zealand side in 1911, alongside former Union teammate George Gillett.
Rukutai was the first captain of the Manukau Magpies when they entered the Auckland Rugby League competition in 1911.
He toured Australia with New Zealand in 1911 and 1912 and his career continued after the War when he again toured Australia in 1919. However, Rukutai played in no Test matches as during this time New Zealand played matches against New South Wales and Queensland.
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